23 April 2021
Jack Whitehead
E-mail:
[FYI request #15016 email]
Dear Jack
Your OIA request of 29 March 2021 to MidCentral District Health Board
(MDHB) in which you have requested a count of T2-T3 bladder cancers
treated with TURBT (transurethral resection) alone is acknowledged and
has been passed on to me for response.
The information that you have requested is:
•
For bladder cancer patients in 2016, how many of those
staged prior to treatment as likely T2-T3 were initially
treated by transurethral resection of the tumour?
•
I use “staged” to cover the assessment that determined the
choice of treatment, however tentative and however informal
the assessment may have been.
The MDHB data quality team were requested to extract data from our
patient information system. The initial data that has been extracted
could not be directly linked to cancer staging information for patients
who had surgical treatment.
The data quality team also worked with MDHB Cancer Services and the
staging information for surgery only patients is not available in a
searchable electronic database.
In discussion with the Urology Service, MDHB patients who present for
suspected bladder cancer have a flexible cystoscopy followed by a
TURBT. The TURBT procedure is performed for both staging and also
treatment for bladder cancer. It is the histology from the TURBT that
determines the stage of cancer.
I understand that this response does not address your request. I would be
very happy to arrange a meeting with you to discuss best practice for
bladder cancer patients.
Operations Executive, Acute & Elective Specialist Services
MidCentral District Health Board, PO Box 2056, Palmerston North 4440
Telephone (06) 356 9169
Page 2 of 2
Please note that this response, or an edited version of this response, may
be published on the MidCentral DHB website 10 working days after your
receipt of this response.
Yours sincerely
Lyn Horgan
Operations Executive
Acute & Elective Specialist Services
